at one of tv's biggest stars. miracle in massachusetts. a natural gas explosion levels one building, damages a dozen more, but incredibly, one was killed in the blast thanks to the quick-thinking of first responders. and a black and blue friday. some shoppers brawling with each other as they rush the stores on friday. overall, though, a lot of happy faces racing to find a bargain. and the holiday shopping continues today, saturday, november 24th, 2012. >> from nbc news, this is "today," with lester holt and erica hill. and welcome to "today" on this saturday morning. i'm erica hill. >> i'm carl quintanilla. lester is enjoying the morning. >> a lot of people this morning remembering actor larry hagman, remembering very fondly.

he created one of television's most iconic characters j.r. ewing on the longtime drama "dallas." a rather nasty guy that people loved to hate. before that, he played a nice guy, captain tony nelson on "i dream of jeannie." he appeared here on "today" last june, and we'll have a look back at his life and career next. >> a legend, absolutely. it is the day after black friday and people were going crazy hunting for bargains, so as you do your shopping this weekend, we'll reveal some ingenious tricks retailers use to get you to spend more and more of your hard-earned cash. speaking of shopping, today is small business saturday. a day for you to support the local mom and pop shops in your town. you can do it every day, of course. something very important to new york city mayor michael bloomberg, who will join us to talk about it in our next half hour. then an unusual punishment for a convicted killer in oklahoma. a teenager was sentenced to spend ten years in church after pleading guilty to manslaughter. the ruling has sparked a legal dispute and we'll hear from both sides in that case.

a bit later, we'll switch gears with a look at tonight's power ball jackpot drawing. there are 325 million reasons or so to buy a ticket. it is one of the biggest jackpots in history. did you buy one? will you buy one? >> i am going to play and then i am going to pray. >> i like that strategy. i like it. >> we'll see if it works this time. we do want to begin with the death of actor larry hagman. msnbc's thomas roberts is here with a lot more on that. good morning. >> he truly was a one of a kind. larry hagman will forever be remembered for iconic role as j.r. ewing on the primetime drama "dallas." the character was a scheming business cheat, an unfaithful husband, and a larger than life texan. it was all of those qualities that kept viewers tuning in for years. more than 350 million people worldwide tuned in to find out who shot j.r. in 1980. turned out to be his sister-in-law kristen. that success was no big surprise for hagman. he was born into a show biz family. his mom the legendary actress mary martin, but it was a blonde

with magic powers that helped propel hagman to star status. he played astronaut tony nelson in the nbc sitcom "i dream of jeannie" for five seasons. after that role came hagman's role of "dallas." years of hard drinking came back to haunt him. he suffered from cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. and in july of 1995 he received a transplant that saved his life. this year he starred in season one of the next generation of "dallas" on tnt with some of his original co-stars. he appeared with them on "today" back in june to talk about reprising the role of j.r. ewing. >> yeah, it was strange kind of getting back into the swing of things, but we all fit right into our characters again, so there was nothing to worry about that. >> hagman filmed appearances for the show's second season, set to begin airing in january. larry hagman was 81 years old. he is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years and two children as well. certainly an iconic character. you remember that, in 1980, the big night, the big reveal? kristen, sue ellen's sister.

>> i like that you're reminding everybody. >> didn't you watch this with your parents growing up? >> of course. to me he'll always be major nelson. >> major nelson. >> i knew him more from "i dream of jeannie." that was my thing as a kid. >> yeah, well, "dallas" apparently coming back, second season, the reboot and he'll be making some appearances. they'll have to figure out a way to respect j.r. in the second season. but apparently it's done really well for tnt, so we'll see how they do. >> interesting to see how that's worked out. >> he'll be missed. >> thanks, thomas. >> absolutely. we want to turn now to the black friday shopping rush. crowds turning out, looking for their bargains. did it all live up to the hype? michelle franzen is new york's herald square outside macy's flagship store. >> good morning. it's a little quiet here this morning, but we've made it through that initial wave of black friday that actually began early on thanksgiving this year. so how did we fare? retail analysts say the number of shoppers didn't necessarily go up, but you see that rush of shoppers going into those doors, just spread out a little earlier over that thanksgiving and black

friday morning. now, in georgia, at one walmart store, there was a mad rush and crush of people grabbing for prepaid cell phones out of cases that were just opened. but for the most part, it was very orderly. people were out there in force looking for those hot door buster items, from electronics and flat screen tvs to deep discounts on clothing. overall, retail analysts say they're expecting that a drop in shoppers this weekend, that's from thursday to sunday, but overall, with shoppers having nearly five weeks to shop, they're hoping that sales will increase just over 4%. that's the estimate. and shoppers will spend nearly $600 billion. so people will be out in force again today on this saturday, looking for whole new round of sales. >> michelle franzen, thank you. how did this black friday add up? want to bring in cnbc's kayla taush with more on that. good morning. >> good morning, era. >> we had an overview there from michelle. in terms of the discounts, did

these live up to expectations? >> customers will always say they didn't, because if you weren't there at the crack of dawn, you likely missed out on the heavily discounted big ticket items. but that being said, there were supposed to be more deals. 20,000 deals advertised versus 17,000 last year. but they were roughly in line. experts say they were 25% to 60% off on average with the televisions and apparel getting the heaviest discounts. >> what about how this is going to add up for retail? final numbers probably will come on monday. but this is black friday because it tends to push them into profit for the year with retailers. is this going to happen with the numbers? >> it's always the hope. they'll say we were waiting for small business saturday. they're waiting for cyber monday. there are a few benchmarks to get to. the good news is, foot traffic was up slightly. if you look at places like the mall of america, or macy's in herald square, you're seeing about a 30% increase in foot traffic. the problem is people were on average expecting to spend less money.

american express said the average shopper who was out on black friday spent $398, which is a lot of money. i wouldn't go and spend $398 on black friday. but it's a 25% drop from last year. so it's likely that even though there were more people, they probably spent less. >> there were also more hours in which to spend your money. it seems that black friday -- i feel like next year it's going to start on monday. but it was a little bit of backlash. walmart and walmart employees striking, protesting here. did it have an impact on sales for some of those stores? did people stay away? >> interestingly, walmart is one of the only retailers that we've heard from so far as far as the success of black friday. the retailer came out and said this was our best ever, actually. between 8:00 p.m. and midnight on thursday, which is when the backlash started. of course, the employees did not want to work during that time. walmart said the bulk of the protesters were not store associates and they actually sold 5,000 items per second. >> it's almost like negative political campaign ads. we hear they work and they're

not going away. despite the complaints, it's sort of like we're going to keep opening earlier because it works. what about what we have coming up monday? cyber monday has become such a big thing. anything to look forward to? >> i think everyone shops every day online now. that's the problem with cyber monday. it used to be this heavily advertised event. but actually, because of thanksgiving, that's the day that everyone's sitting around at home and actually with the time to shop, you have a glass of wine, the tryptophan sets in, you grab your ipad and before you know it you're on amazon. >> mobile shopping. >> a lot of mobile shopping now. internet sales were up 17%. on thanksgiving day, mobile shopping up 65%. it's not just you and me grabbing our ipads. it was a lot of people. so you know -- >> how did you know i did that? >> i know you. kayla, thanks, appreciate it. >> thank you. >> it's the shopping with the wine that gets you in trouble. meantime, want to get some of the other top stories. msnbc's thomas roberts has those. >> i think we have a hot tip, because erica's ipad is under her scripts. it's right here. >> do you want the christmas gift or not? is the question. >> of course i do.

good morning again, everybody. we begin in new england where officials in massachusetts are calling it a miracle that no one is dead after a natural gas explosion levelled a strip club in downtown springfield and heavily damaged a dozen other buildings friday night. the blast injured 18 people, mostly first responders who had been checking on a possible gas leak. luckily, officials had already evacuated part of the city's entertainment district. black ice led to several black friday accidents in new england, including a fatal crash in maine. a 24-year-old woman was killed when she lost control of her suv. her 38-year-old passenger is listed in critical condition. state police say she was driving in foggy conditions and hit a patch of black ice. her suv slid off the road and into a tree. the mother of hector camacho says she's going to ask doctors to take her son off life support today. maria mattias tells reporters she's just waiting for three of camacho's sons to get one final chance to see their dad. the 50-year-old boxing champ was gravely wounded in a drive-by shooting on tuesday night. so it is beginning to look a

lot like christmas at the white house. this year's official tree arrived on friday atop a horsedrawn carriage with "o christmas tree" playing in the background. first lady michelle obama along with daughters sasha and malia welcomed the 19 foot frasier fir from north carolina. the tree will stand in the blue room of the white house. a group of friends in northern utah have a talent for creating videos that really draw big audiences on the internet. take a peek at this. they shot a movie of them jumping and flipping, doing cartwheels from the roof of a house into this giant 17-foot-high pile of leaves. the video has already gained about 1.5 million clicks thus far. they just posted it on their youtube channel on sunday night. pretty amazing. that's going to do it for the news now. now back to carl, erica and dylan. apparently they collected about a thousand bags of leaves to create that. >> wow. >> wow. >> and it's safe. >> it is? okay. >> i want to try it. >> i used to do that all the time. not to that extent.

just this little grill we had in the back that my dad had built and we would jump off into probably like five bags of leaves. >> you look like you survived. dylan dreyer is here with the check of the forecast. old man winter is visiting for the holidays. >> i know. especially in the great lakes. that lake effect machine is back on. we are seeing perhaps several inches of snow across the great lakes. we have lake effect snow warnings into western new york, northwestern pennsylvania, even into cleveland, ohio. syracuse will most likely see some snow. you can see the northwest wind from the upper peninsula of michigan, right down off of lake erie and ontario. we can see some areas pick up three to six, six to nine inches of snow. we're also looking at chilly air through montana. the northwest, we'll be dealing with more rain. and the middle of the country, colorado today, topping out in the lower 70s. that's a look at the weather across the country. here's a look at the temperatures around the bay area. mostly 30s and 40s and san francisco in the 50s with patchy

fog possible in the inland east bay valleys. not much wind the the moment, but during the day a slight perhaps offshore breeze that will keep the skies clear. storm track to the north and pleasant to kickoff the weekend. upper 60s to low 70s around the bay area. san jose near 70. a few clouds and cooling and rain returns on wednesday. and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thanks. now to egypt, where protests have erupted over president mohamed morsi's decree expanding his power. jim is in cairo. good morning. >> reporter: almost two years after their revolution, egyptians seem more divided than ever. after many hear their elected leader has driven the wedge deeper and wider. at dawn, there were more tents and protesters around tahrir square, but that didn't stop

clashes with police, where protesters blocked traffic defying president mohamed morsi's orders. after morsi declared sweeping powers for himself, leaving him above the law. >> translator: we are here because the goals of the revolution have yet to be achieved. >> reporter: morsi told his supporters he had to take radical measures to protect the revolution. and fast track a new constitution being written by a mostly islamist assembly, after which he said he'd give up those powers. yes, he might be a dictator for the time being, but these powers will be transferred to an elected parliament, he said. but the decrees have triggered protests and riots across the nation. dozens were injured in alexandria when angry youth stormed and set fire to morsi's muslim brotherhood headquarters. this action makes him a dictator even more than hosni mubarak, he said.

critics call it a power grab, after brokering a cease fire deal in gaza. but suddenly, morsi the mediator is fighting for his political life back home. >> regardless of the timing, this sort of move by morsi would always have been a risky and polarizing gesture. >> reporter: and just as egypt seemed to be emerging from his post-revolutionary hain, there's more trouble ahead. later today, opposition members are meeting to plot out their next move. there are already plans for strikes by judges and a call for a million-man march against morsi on tuesday. back to you. >> jim, thanks. once again, here's erica. egypt is just one of the challenges facing president obama these days. his biggest challenge here at home, finding a way to avoid that so called fiscal cliff that could raise your taxes and throw the economy back into recession. kristen welker is in our washington bureau. good morning. >> reporter: president obama is also facing a number of challenges overseas, as you say,

from the unrest in the middle east to the continuing fallout over the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. but the fiscal cliff looms large. president obama returning from a post-thanksgiving round of golf, but off the links, the clock is ticking. lawmakers need to hammer out a deal to prevent the so called fiscal cliff. deep spending cuts and tax hikes set to take effect next year. >> i think we're all aware that we have some urgent business to do. >> reporter: after a meeting at the white house last week, congressional leaders struck a rare tone of bipartisanship. >> we had a very constructive meeting with the president. >> we feel very comfortable with each other. >> reporter: but a major sticking point remains -- taxes. president obama wants to let the bush era tax cuts expire for the wealthiest americans. many republicans still oppose that idea. aides have been trying to work out a compromise. >> none of this is pretty. it's actually ridiculous. pretty dysfunctional politics.

we've set this crazy trap for ourselves and we're about to inflict a wound on our economy that really doesn't need that. >> reporter: in addition, the fragile cease fire looms large in the middle east. some analysts say this could be an opening for mr. obama to engage more actively in a middle east peace process, something he failed to do during his first term. >> we need to explore what is possible, but we have to be quite realistic and go in with our eyes open. >> reporter: and then there's the attack against the u.s. consulate in benghazi. republican lawmakers have accused u.n. ambassador susan rice of providing false information after she appeared on the sunday shows days later saying the incident was spontaneous. this week, rice defended herself. >> when discussing the attacks against our facilities in benghazi, i relied solely and squarely on the information provided to me by the intelligence community. >> now, rice has come under so much scrutiny, in part because she's been discussed as a

possible replacement for secretary of state hillary clinton. senator john mccain and other republicans are not satisfied by rice's answers. they are calling for a select committee investigation. now, as for the fiscal cliff, if lawmakers can't agree to a deal by the first of the year, economists say eventually the country could slip back into another recession. erica? >> so many people focused on that date. thank you. at 17 minutes past the hour, here's carl. >> today authorities are looking into that horrific thanksgiving day pile-up in texas that involved at least 140 people. two people were killed, at least 100 others injured. two heroes emerged. tom costello had their story. >> reporter: it took more than nine hours to clear two miles of twisted wreckage on i-10 in east texas. two dead, a husband and wife. their suv crushed by an 18-wheeler. >> this semi was up in the air, higher than the back of my

trailer. it's like he was jumping around. he was in the air, airborne, taking these cars with him. >> reporter: police credit good samaritans with helping to save lives. katie is a nurse who rushed to help another family as the chain reaction continued. >> i jumped in the car, sat on a little boy's lap, closed the door and we all just braced each other until we knew it was done. >> reporter: damian managed to free nine accident victims. >> you really couldn't see. i just ran to the nearest car and started yanking people out. >> reporter: the dense, fast-moving fog described as a death trap. four years ago a deadly mix of fog and brush fire smoke caused a 50-car pile-up on i-4 in florida, killing four. in california, in 2007, dense fog caused this 100-car pile-up near fresno that killed two. and this is the time of year when fog can move in quickly. >> you get the longer, cooler nights and that basically allowed the temperature to cool all the way down to where that moisture can condense and produce some pretty thick fog. >> reporter: fog is notorious

for distorting a driver's perception of speed and distance. experts advise to slow way down. don't forget to use your fog lights, not your high beams. and try to pull way over until the fog clears. overall, traffic fatalities continue to decline year round. over thanksgiving, 610 deaths in 2005 to a projected 451 this year, a 26% drop. thanksgiving is the single busiest travel period of the year for families, with 39 million of us driving over these four days, and sunday will be the single busiest day when so many people start heading back home. tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> once again, here's erica. restaurant chain cracker barrel has been a favorite of american road trippers for decades with its down home southern cooking and stores filled with an assortment of knickknacks. ever wonder how they find all those little treasures? kerry sanders decided to find

out. >> reporter: in rural tennessee, where holding on to old time values is treasure, larry singleton's treasure is finding value in a piece of the old times. >> this is one i just picked up here recently. i don't think i've ever seen one. it was for roy acuff's own flour. >> reporter: larry is unlike most collectors. not because his living room looks like a museum. >> it's a 1930s coca-cola sign. >> reporter: rather because he gets paid to collect american memorabilia. >> i believe i really do have the best job in the world. >> reporter: larry inherited this job from his parents, who were hired by a man with a dream. 43 years ago, dan evans wanted to turn a gas station into a general store. it would be called cracker barrel. >> got the hamburger platter right here. >> reporter: today, with 620 stores in 42 states, this restaurant chain from tennessee fills each location with pieces of americana.

>> i'm sure i'm not alone. most people probably think that stuff is a replica. it's real? >> yeah, it's all authentic. since the beginning, cracker barrel started, they said we're going to use the original pieces. since 1969, we've got out and hunted and dug and got into buildings to continue to use authentic pieces. >> reporter: if his home is a museum, well, then, cracker barrel's warehouse -- >> old cream cans. metal cream cans. >> reporter: is an archive of american history. where relics are restored, bar coded, and then categorized. each collectible is carefully staged in a mock store before a new cracker barrel opens. how do they pay for all this? with success. if you'd invested a thousand dollars in this company's stock in the earrl larly '80s, today

stock would be worth close to a million dollars. each store has two constants. the memorabilia is not for sale and no one can ever figure out what that thing is hanging from the ceiling. >> it's a hand washer that they used to wash clothes in a wash tub. >> reporter: and now you know. for "today," kerry sanders, nbc news, lebanon, tennessee. still to come, you'll meet an inspirational young woman dealing with cancer head-on, writing a popular blog that's helping so many others. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪

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good morning, rob. >> it looks good. for all the plans outdoors later, we will have to deal with patchy fog, thick enough for an advisory that includes fairfield at 39 and 41 in livermore and 55 in san francisco. a slight offshore breeze is going to clear out what's left of the patchy low clouds. visibility is down to two miles. the storm track here will be across the pacific northwest. a case of oregon mist. the weather will miss us this weekend and we will have lots of sunshine. upper 60s to low 70s. 70 in san jose and we may manage mid 70s tote south closer to morgan hill. cooling early next week and all the outdoor plans are done by tuesday because wednesday and thursday and friday, a lot of rain coming in.

>> thank you very much. new this morning was a frantic rush in the east bay when crews spent three long hours true e trying to free a man in a narrow storm drain. around 9:00, the fire department got a report of a man stuck in a storm drain near the best be store. a 27-year-old man was wedged in a 12 inch metal pipe. fire crews used a saw to cut the pipe and managed to get the man out safely after midnight. he bumps and bruises, but not seriously hurt. it's not clear how he ended up there, but he is homeless and had gone in there in the past to stay warm. >> holiday shopping and wedding planning took a tragic turn for one family. early friday morning the driver of this suv swerved into the back of a patrol car on northbound 101.

the chp investigator said chicago and drugs were not a factor, but they haven't ruled out falling asleep at the wheel. the family of six was in the suv, a father and mother and four daughters. two daughters were ejected as it flipped over and it's not known if they were wearing seatbelts. the oldest daughter died. >> she was looking forward to getting married and she wanted to go to india where she was going to get married. >> nisha's sister is in critical condition. the other family members suffers injuries, but the chp officer was sitting in his po pa troll car when it happened. >> coming up, memorial services for a young man shot and killed in an attempted carjacking in san jose.

the latest on the investigation and a local news update in about a half hour. back to the "today" show. and we are back on this saturday morning, november 24th, 2012. it's a little chilly.

>> a lot of warmth, though, from this crowd. >> a lot of warm smiles. people with strange mustaches. i'm carl quintanilla here with erica hill. lester has the morning off. coming up in this half-hour, have you ever gone to the mall planning to spend a certain amount of money and you walk out spending twice as much? >> yeah, i do that at target a lot. >> target, anywhere. coming up, we'll reveal what some of your favorite retailers are actually doing to get you to spend more of your crash. some interesting mind games going on. >> obviously, that's their goal. ours is to save some. happy to have those hints coming up. also, we'll switch gears a little bit this morning when we introduce you to a young woman who has really become an inspiration for so many. she's battling cancer, diagnosed at just 22 years old when she was living what she thought was the perfect life. she turned the situation around and she's helping others. a bit later this morning, a legal uproar over a sentencing handed down by a judge in oklahoma who ordered a teenager convicted of causing a deadly car crash not to ten years of

prison, but to a decade of church instead. >> interesting legal bats on that front, too. meantime, today, as you know, small business saturday. a chance to give your favorite mom and pop store a boost of business. here in this area, badly needed in the wake of hurricane sandy. joining us more to talk more about that is new york city mayor michael bloomberg. welcome. >> thank you. welcome to small business saturday. >> good to be here. we all know what the city has been through over the past few weeks. you have an announcement regarding some of those businesses that even still can't open. >> number one, small business saturday is the creation of american express. they've done a wonderful thing helping small businesses grow in this city. small businesses account for 98% of all businesses. they employ 50% of the people in this city. 2/3 of them have five employees or less. they really are the job creators for new york city. new york city has gotten back 200% of the jobs lost during the recession. the country has only gotten back 40% and it's really all been in

small businesses. small businesses are the ones in your neighborhood that let you really find good values, get somebody that knows what you need, understands your culture, and it's very important, a lot of them, however, got very badly hurt from hurricane sandy. >> this is something i know you helped spearhead in new york city, to help a lot of these with . >> we've raised $40 million privately to match loans. our small business services can provide you with ways to get around the paper work. we have an exemption of sales tax. you have to buy things to get your business back going again. those kinds of things. >> where are you shopping on small business saturday? >> well, i've got a small business in my neighborhood. i eat in small restaurants. i'm going to get gifts for my daughters. >> you run a small business. or at least it used to be small. >> it started small anyway. thank goodness it's not anymore. that's how we pay the bills. >> mr. mayor, thank you very

much. >> nice to see you. let's get a check of the weather from dylan. >> today's weather is brought to you by american express, founding partner of small business saturday on november 24th. get out and shop small. >> and we found a nice family here from texas. you are the reason why you're down at the today show this morning, right? >> yes. >> where in texas are you from? >> frisco. >> and how are you liking the cold weather? >> it's okay. >> it's okay. well, good for you, waking up the family at 6:15 to get down here to the "today" show where it is a little bit chilly. most of the northeastern half of the country is a little bit on the cool side. we've got temps in the 20s, 30s, and 40s. new york city today will only be in the 40s. but go west to denver, lower 70s today. that is the warm part of the country. tomorrow looks pretty nice as well. for today, we are going to see a lot of lake effect snow. perhaps up to three to six inches of lake effect snow. a little windy off the coast of massachusetts and down in the

southeast . here's a view out the window at san francisco. we are fog-free and nice clear skies and notice the flag with an offshore breeze that will ensure a mostly sunny day after the patchy fog breaks up inland. hour by hour, up to the patchy fog going away and the coastal clouds staying off the coast. we got temperatures by 11:00 and 2:00. upper 60s and low 70s. a pleasant start to the weekend. cooler and extra clouds and the raindrops back into the forecast starting wednesday. >> or more on that lake effect snow, for more on the weather near you, you can always check out online your forecast at weather.com. erica? two and a half years ago, this woman had a life many people would envy. she just graduated from princeton, moved to paris, and was falling in love with her new city and a new boyfriend.

and her life was turned upside down. we'll speak with her in a moment, but first, here's her story. >> i was diagnosed in 2011 when i was 22. i remember as he said the words, i remember reading them on the paper and just feeling my heart sink down to my stomach. >> it just felt like something stopped inside of me. >> i lived in paris. i had an apartment there, a job there. my boyfriend was there. and suddenly i was in new york with a cancer diagnosis not knowing if i was going to survive the next few weeks. i got my first treatments with an incredible team of doctors. unfortunately, the second part of the biopsy results showed that i would need a bone marrow transplant. >> when i found out that i could donate my bone marrow, i felt like i could actually do something to help her. and hopefully save her. >> i feel very connected to him in this very intense way.

>> we were incredibly elated about hearing the good news that adam was a match, not only a match, but a perfect match. >> there i was, her boyfriend having to put out her hair, which starts to come out in clumps. i think there was some real fear set in that day. >> i have lost everything. i have lost my apartment, i have lost my job, i have lost my independence, i have lost my hair. but sheamus was still there and that made all the difference. i hadn't necessarily expected to be doing chemo therapy following my bone marrow transplant. basically what i do is i come here every morning for a week, once a month, and i receive my chemo therapy. it feels like your body is being poisoned. it's been difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that i need to feel worse in order to hopefully get better.

>> she's been through a lot and faced everything with courage, dignity. really, she has been an inspiration to us. >> she is with us this morning. what a story you have. this obviously changed everything for you at age 22. it's the last thing you expect. and as i understand it, there wasn't a lot out there for you in terms of resources, which is one of the reasons you started a blog, correct? >> when i first got diagnosed, i felt incredibly isolated. i was just 22 years old and i was the youngest person by decades in the adult oncology unit. >> now you have this week lly column in "the new york times" writing about what cancer patients were doing in terms of sandy. how did that affect other people? >> the first thing, when you hear that there's a hurricane coming or a storm, is to go through your mental checklist. do i have batteries? do i have a flashlight? my first thought was how am i going get to the hospital to do

my chemo therapy treatments. when i called the hospital and realized that they were closed for the day, i started thinking how am i going to get in touch with my doctors, if i run out of medication, what will i do? and there was this whole host of concerns that i never would have thought of before. until my diagnosis. >> and so you're still going through chemo now. but you're technically cancer-free? >> i am. after two years of nonstop chemo therapy and a life-saving bone marrow transplant -- >> from your brother. >> yes, from my younger brother adam, i'm finally cancer-free. i recently moved in to an apartment with my boyfriend and we adopted a rescue puppy a few months ago. so i'm feeling very hopeful for the future. >> he seems like a pretty incredible guy being with you this whole journey. >> he's been so incredible. we've been dating for about six months when i first got diagnosed. we're not married, but i think

the whole in health and sickness thing has been interesting for us because we have the sickness part down and we're really looking forward to exploring the more healthy aspect of our lives together. >> it will be nice to be at that point. before we let you go, what does the writing do for you? it's helped a lot of other people to know that someone else is out there. what does it do for you? >> we all have life interrupted moments, whether we're dealing with unemployment, getting over our breakup, or taking care of an elderly parent. my life interrupted moment happened to be cancer. but the important thing is not to focus on the interruption. it's to figure out thousand cope with the interruption, how to grow beyond it and how to use it as an opportunity for change and self-improvement. >> you're certainly a great example of that. a pleasure to have you with us this morning. >> thank you so much, erica, it's an honor to be here. >> and we're back right after this. into their work,

their name on the door, and their heart into their community. small business saturday is a day to show our support. a day to shop at stores owned by our friends and neighbors. and do our part for the businesses that do so much for us. on november 24th, let's get out and shop small.

will: [ inner voice ] the only place i can afford. i'm so glad you're home. yeah. will: [ inner voice ] if i was smart enough to pounce on the daily double for just a buck 99 on the mcdonald's extra value menu i can handle this. i got this great loft space. ooo, very cool. that's right. so it's like i won. sure. oh my gosh i won!!! i won!!! [ male announcer ] get a $100 walmart gift card when you buy any android or windows 8 smartphone. through december 1st. from america's gift headquarters. walmart. i'd like to thank eating right, whole grain, multigrain cheerios! mom, are those my jeans? [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios [ woman ] too weak. wears off. been there. tried that.

ladybug body milk? no thanks. [ female announcer ] stop searching and start repairing. eucerin professional repair moisturizes while actually repairing very dry skin. it's so powerful you can skip a day... but light enough you won't want to. dermatologist recommended eucerin. the end of trial and error has arrived. try a free sample at eucerinus.com. this morning in today's consumer, how to avoid overspending. the holiday shopping season is in full swing and your favorite stores have a few tricks up their sleeve to get you to shell out some big bucks. carmen is here to reveal what they are. good morning to you. >> good morning, carl. >> why should people be more worried about having the retailers sort of figure out this whole game of how to get us to spend more? >> they are fighting for your money, right?

because we're the most savviest consumers ever. we've got shopping apps on our phone, promo codes, shopping sites. we know how to shop and we're much more likely to have a budget. since the recession, we cut down on credit card debt, and we'll spend a little bit more, but we want to stick to our budget. >> you've laid out a few of the strategies that they use. the first one is called the decoy effect. >> here we go. here's the decoy. let's say you have two choices of the same item. different in quality, but it's $50 for that coffee maker versus $100. if only those two choices existed and you're on a budget, you'll choose the $50 coffee maker. the decoy is brought in in the middle to get you to spend more, because once that decoy is there, you're more like tlly toy the one in the middle. the middle range in price and quality, because it goes from just a savings decision the a value and quality decision. oh wow, $70. for an extra $20, i can get closer to that $100. that's what happens in your

mind, even if it blows your budget. just be mindful of that. >> this works because we think we're getting a deal? >> exactly. our perception has topped. if you have a bottom and a top, that's your only choice. the decoy makes it seem like oh, i got a deal. >> i like this next one. it's the scarcity effect. >> okay, what is black friday? why do people line up and all that? because when you have a limited timeframe and a limited amount of items, we go nuts. this is black friday. this is also, though, the flash sales on site. i call this the guilt effect for guilt.com, which really started these flash sales. it's new. we've got to go in. it's a limited quantity. we've got to buy. this goes back to 1975, behavioral economists found that women with two sets of cookies -- they called this the cookie effect. simply because one set of cookies, there was a smaller amount. women rated them higher. the cookie effect is the

scarcity effect. going back to hunting and gathering. >> this last one, the reciprocity effect. >> freebies. women at the makeup counter. you get free. if you spend $50, you get free. now online, too, if you buy from online retailers, they'll send you free samples. here's the thing. 90% of us say if we get a freebie, we'll be very likely to buy from that person again. it's the "you owe me one" effect. >> the best defense against all of these are what? >> to know that they exist and to know how they work, and just be very mindful of what's going on. that time pressure, ban yourself from those sites if you have a problem with it, and with the freebie effect, just because someone gives you something doesn't mean you owe them anything. >> that masters in psychologist is helping you today. >> it's serving me very well. still ahead, like father like son. a look at lester's cameo with his anchorman son on chicago tv. but first, these messages.

mother: this is george. he is a good little monkey and always very curious. one day george got an important letter... he's built a rocket ship to travel into space. girl: google, how far is earth to the moon? google voice response: moon is 238,900 miles...

mother vo: the great moment had come... ...3...2...1. ♪ i just finished a bowl of your new light chicken pot pie soup and it's so rich and creamy... is it really 100 calories? let me put you on webcan... ...lean roasted chicken... and a creamy broth mmm i can still see you. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. but kissing is at an all-time high! i want answers! oh. right. kay. [ female announcer ] kay jewelers -- where you can now save on these diamond fashions. right. ♪ every kiss begins with kay

we have had a great thanksgiving holiday. we're reminiscing here. we're going to share a little bit of ours with you. i was tasked with taking pictures as we all were. i failed at my assignment. so i'm just apologizing. >> that's beautiful! >> thankfully, melissa, one of our producers made it look really good. the wine does not belong to sawyer and weston. >> but you tried a video. >> i tried a video to get them to say what they're thankful for. my oler son was super sweet. he said i'm thankful for my elf on the shelf. and my younger one says i'm thankful for dirty. >> which sounds like turkey. >> my son made that centerpiece.

>> this was the first thanksgiving my twin girls could play a full round of candy land, so there they are without throwing the pieces around. we played some rock band. we did an asian dinner. we went to a children's museum in philly where you can dress up as different professions, and they dressed up as doctors, where i got a check-up. i think we have a shot of that, too. there we are. got my ears checked. the bad thing was they said where's our co-pay? >> but they did clear you to work today. >> yes, that's right. >> the picture of health. >> well, my family came down from boston. my in-laws now. and that is a group of all of us. and way, way, way in the back is the parade. this is my first time spending thanksgiving in new york city with the parade, and i didn't realize how all the streets are closed off. i'm like oh, we'll just walk up to it. we saw papa smurf. we saw spiderman. so the kids were happy. >> this is your first married holiday. like me this is my first married holiday. but because of work, we didn't have time to travel so.

we volunteered for an organization in new york that provides home and shelter to lgbt youth. that is the before picture of the yams. that is the after. >> who was cooking? >> this was a combination. if you saw that shot, we had patrick, who was taking everybody to the gun show. [ laughter ] >> two tickets, right? >> but ally sheedy was in that picture. the actress and her daughter. it was a new oven. >> it's true. sometimes they just don't work way they should. it's a good excuse. >> blame the appliances. >> if you have a stash of marshmallows, you cover up the burns. >> good tips. we'll be back with more "today" on nbc. what are you doing there?

i am making crescent bacon cheddar pinwheels. wow, i'm impressed! [ ding ] dad, the cable's out! you got that right? [ kiss ] thank you ♪ [ male announcer ] pillsbury crescents. let the making begin. here's a better idea. pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits in just 15 minutes the light delicate layers add a layer of warmth to your next dinner. pillsbury grands biscuits let the making begin.

still to come on "today,"

there's a little something for everyone with this season's holiday movies and we've got a preview. >> "life of pi", that was the story of my thanksgiving diet. plus, power ball fever. tonight's jackpot, $325 million. do you have a ticket yet? first, these messages. [ female announcer ] think a thick cream is the only way to firm skin? challenge the need for such heavy measures with olay. regenerist micro-sculpting serum for firmer skin in 5 days. pretty heavy lifting for such a lightweight. [ female announcer ] olay regenerist.

oh, did you want it? yea we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light, buttery and flakey. that's half that's not half! guys, i have more! thanks mom [ female announcer ] pillsbury crescents. let the making begin [ male announcer ] it's that time of year. time for campbell's green bean casserole. you'll find the recipe at campbellskitchen.com. ♪ campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. yay! come get into bed. this is a story about jingle the husky pup. and jingle was a good dog. ruff! ruff! jingle loved to bark hello. ruff! ruff! ruff! ruff! jingle even loved to sing. ruff! ruff! ruff! ruff! ruff! jingle!

let's read the book to him. jingle, stay. and jingle did. ruff! ruff! [ female announcer ] hallmark interactive story buddies. when you read key words, jingle responds. . >> good morning. 5:56 is the time and hope you are having a trick holiday

weekend. rob, i must say i went to the beach yesterday and it was gorgeous. >> can you see the clear skies in an offshore breeze to clear things out and sometimes that can pull in the fog. we are seeing a little bit of that. fairfield 39 and 37 in santa rosa. you see the wind and an east wind in oakland. that should ensure clear skies closer to san francisco and oakland. down to about a mile in santa rosa. hour by hour, the low clouds and the central valley fog starts to break up and if you are traveling to fresno or bak bakersfie bakersfield, hazy sunshine. high pressure giving us a nice day. upper 60s and possibly low to mitt 70s south of san jose. mostly sunny and tomorrow we will see a few morning clouds and high clouds. a weak system drops the temperatures for the end of the weekend, but the real rain

threat will hold off until wednesday. once it arrives, it will stick around for a while. lots of rain. >> now this morning, a frantic rush in the east bay as rescue crews spent long hours trying to free a man stuck in the narrow storm drain. around 9:00, the fire department got a report of a man stuck inside the drain near the best buy store on fitzgerald. the 27-year-old man was wemged in a 12-inch metal pipe about three feet below the surface. they used a saw to cut the pipe and managed to get the man out safely just after midnight. >> crews using hand tools excavated about 12 or 13 feet that went to 7 feet below grade down the hill. we were able to expose that pipe. >> the man got a few bumps and bruises and not seriously hurt. still unclear exactly how he

ended up in the pipe. he had gone into the storm drain in the past to stay warm. memorial services will be held for a young man shot and killed in an attempted carjacking in san jose. rory park was killed by two armed robbers on a crime spree. they are accused of murder and robbing businesses and having a shootout with police that left one officer hurt. the suspect is in custody. police are still searching for the second suspect. a donation fund has been set up for burial costs. coming up this morning on today in the bay, a developing story where more than 40 people are behind bars this morning after a confrontation with police. another local news update in about a half hour. back to the "today" show.

. welcome back to "today," saturday morning, the 24th day of november, 2012.

you can see we've got a great crowd on the plaza there. saw a 10th birthday sign. a lot of friends waving hello to their family and friends back home. back here inside studio 1a, i'm erica hill alongside carl quintanilla. lester is enjoying the morning off. >> spending some time with his family. >> yes, as he should. coming up this morning, we're remembering actor larry hagman, who is best known for his two tv roles as major tony nelson on "i dream of jeannie." and later, the ruthless oil man j.r. ewing on "dallas." did black friday live up to the hype? crowds showed up at stores all around the holiday on thanksgiving. did those bargain hunters make it worth it for retailers who opened their doors much earlier this year? we'll get a live report on that. it could be a great way to get some money to spend on your holiday shopping. all you have to do is win power

ball. wouldn't hurt to have an extra $325 million. is it enough to get you to buy a ticket? >> oh yes. it's more than enough. >> more than one ticket. we'll talk about an unusual punishment for a teen who pled guilty top manslaughter. a judge sentenced him to spend ten years in church rather than a jail cell. so does the punishment fit the crime? we'll have some reaction. it was a rough thanksgiving night for halle berry. the oscar winner's ex-boyfriend getting into a fight with her current boyfriend. they're embroiled in a heated custody dispute. we begin this half-hour with the death of actor larry hagman. he created the character j.r. ewing, the texas oil man viewers loved to hate. kristen dahlgren has more on his life and his career. >> reporter: it was one of those iconic tv moments and the role that made larry hagman a household name.

[ gunshot ] perhaps the biggest cliffhanger of all time. who shot j.r.? as the millionaire j.r. ewing -- couldn't wait for the latest installment from southfork ranch. hagman recently reprised the role of j.r., joining patrick duffy and linda gray as the ewings gathered. >> you are still the prettiest girl at the ball. >> we still have so much fun. don't tell anybody, but it should have been a sitcom. >> reporter: "the dallas morning news" reports duffy and gray were at his side when he passed at a dallas hospital from

complications from throat cancer. linda gray said larry hagman was my best friend for 35 years. he was the pied piper of life and brought joy to everyone he knew. the world was a brighter place because of him. hagman was the son of broadway legend mary martin. he first made it big playing major nelson opposite barbara eden on "i dream of jeannie." hagman also had roles in movies like "primary colors." >> i have a price to pay. >> reporter: but it was his turn as the back stabbing jr. for which hagman will be best remembered. a small screen legend that endured for decades and will live on in tv history. for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, los angeles. >> isn't it something that he played a character who was so likable in "i dream of jeannie" and a character that people, as you said, loved to hate on "dallas." >> total opposite, and yet was

so well loved for both of those characters. >> our thoughts are with his family. turning to black friday this morning, did those long lines and big crowds live up to the hype? michelle franzen is in new york city's herald square outside macy's flagship store. >> reporter: good morning, carl. shoppers will be back out in force this saturday looking for a whole new round of deals. that following a wave of black friday sprees that began early. just as the thanksgiving feast was wrapping up, the most important days of this holiday season drew crowds, but not necessarily more numbers compared to last year. still retailers say they like what they see. off and running. the familiar crush of shoppers flocked to stores in search of bargains and those must-have gifts, including clothes and electronics. >> just on the tv, you're saving more than half of it. it's affordable right now, even if you have to be out here for two days to get it. >> reporter: at a walmart in

georgia, cell phone video posted on youtube captured a frenzy of shoppers pushing, grabbing and diving into case of prepaid cell phones. and in kansas, the crowds swelled and swooned as the gate to this victoria's secret store finally opened. the start to this holiday shopping season was like no other, with black friday sales kicking off a day early on thanksgiving. >> i don't know what else i can do some damage with, but i'm going to find out. >> reporter: sears, walmart, target, toys 'r' us and come opened their doors, catering to customers' wishes and stoking sales. >> we had the best black friday ever at walmart. >> reporter: but the new spin on an american tradition also sparked controversy. walmart employees organized nationwide walkouts at dozens of stores. >> where is family values anymore? >> reporter: and target employees posted online

petitions against working on thanksgiving, the early start to black friday, analysts say, is a mixed bag. >> the trend is every year, black friday seems to get earlier. the promotions seem to get larger. the freebies seem to get larger. so i think that is the trend and who knows, next year we might not even have a thanksgiving. >> reporter: black friday accounts for about 10% of holiday sales and marks an important dance between retailers and shoppers during the biggest shopping season of the year. and so far, it appears consumers are up for the challenge. >> it's rough. but it is all worth it at the end of the day when you're out here trying to save a couple dollars. >> reporter: and it's not just about the brick-and-mortar stores. online sales are also showing a good start to this black friday. the sales are up as much as 20%, as more people shop at home or use their mobile devices. carl? >> michelle franzen in new york,

thanks so much. >> easy to use that phone when you're sitting on the couch digesting. let's get the morning's other stories from thomas roberts. >> hi, everybody. investigators are trying to figure out what led to a huge natural gas explosion friday night in springfield, mass. we're live at the scene with diana from our nbc affiliate wvit tv. diana, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, thomas. city officials here in springfield, massachusetts, are calling this the miracle on worthington street. if you live within about a 15-mile radius of this natural gas explosion, you felt it and you heard it. but the good news here, there was no critical injuries and there were no deaths. but there were some minor injuries. ten people were taken to the hospital. two of them, police officers, two firefighters, two gas line workers. they were working on a gas leak at a separate location, and about an hour later, a major

explosion at the scores nightclub. it's a two-story building. it was levelled as was the building next to it. three other buildings completely damaged. now, for people that live many this section of the city, it was some terrifying moments. most people described it the same way to me. they said it felt and sounded like a bomb. but again, fortunately, it was just a natural gas explosion. no critical or serious injuries and no deaths. right now, investigators are still trying to figure out how this all happened. we are live in springfield, massachusetts. >> thanks so much. we turn now to pope benedict who has made six non-europeans roman catholics today. this chips away at the elite group that will one day elect the pope's successor. one of the new cardinals is american arch bishop james michael harvey. the united states now has 19 cardinals. now an update on a story we brought you last weekend. a cheerleader for the nba

orlando team, jamie wood, was injured during an on-court routine this month. she told reporters she has to wear a brace for three months, but she believes that one day she will be out there performing once again. a drug making company in india is recalling its generic version of a popular cholesterol drug lipitor because it may contain tiny glass particles. it will temporarily disrupt supplies in the u.s. market while the company conducts an investigation. we all know that age old adage. a group of friends in northern utah ignored that advice when they shot this video. it shows them jumping, flipping, doing cartwheels from the roof of a house into a giant pile of leaves 17 feet high. they posted this video on their youtube channel on sunday night. it already has more than one and a half million views. quite popular. that's the news for now. time for a check of the weather and we're going to head outside

on the plaza and check in with dylan dreyer. >> good morning, thomas. you guys made it through thanksgiving and the leftovers. so where are you guys from? >> buffalo. >> your eyes are just freaking me out. [ laughter ] well, thanks so much for spending your thanksgiving in new york city, where it is a little chilly. a couple people shivering on the plaza this morning. we've got below average temperatures all across the eastern half of the country. much above normal temperatures to the western half of the country where temperatures today will be in the 60s and 70s. we've got lake effect snow in action off of lake ontario, off of lake erie as well. northern peninsula of michigan will also see about three

and that's your latest forecast. erica? >> dylan, thank you. an oklahoma judge is facing heavy criticism after handing down an unconventional sentence. following a deadly car accident, a judge sentenced a young driver to a place many people visit -- church. >> reporter: this 17-year-old was handed an unlikely and highly controversial sentence, church, for the next ten years. >> i hope and pray that church will give him his lord and savior and make a difference in his life. >> reporter: oklahoma district judge mike norman sentenced allred to regularly attend church as part of his probation.

allred crashed his truck on this road last year. his friend was ejected and died. >> i'm not able to hug john or to give him a kiss, but i am able to feel him in my heart. >> reporter: the incident report states allred was under the influence. judge norman says locking up the teenager would do more harm than good. >> i think it would have had a terrible effect on him to go to prison at age 17. he would not come out the same man. >> reporter: the american civil liberties union of oklahoma claims norman's so called church sentence is unconstitutional, violating the separation between church and state. >> if the first amendment means anything, it means that the government can't coerce an individual to believe in a particular faith or to go to church or to not go to a church. >> reporter: both the defendants and victims' families support the judge's decision. >> i think in essence, it's already ruined two families and two lives. one life has a chance to turn around and improve. >> reporter: allred's family

issued a statement saying in part, it was a bad mistake on all the boys' parts. we are thankful that we had a judge who could see our grandson's potential for the future. in addition to attending church, allred must also finish high school and avoid drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. the aclu plans to file a complaint against the judge next week, but for now, allred faces penance instead of prison. f . still to come, the holt family business. yes, as in our own lester holt. the special way he spent part of his thanksgiving with his son. but next, have you bought your power ball ticket yet? tonight's jackpot is $325 million. so what are your odds? can't win if you don't play. we'll tell you the odds after these messages. nd. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference.

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well, inside the brewer, there's a giant staircase. and the room is filled with all these different kinds of coffee. actually, i just press this button. brew what you love, simply. keurig. if you ththink again.ed out on black friday prices at the home depot, black friday prices are still here. instore and online, right now. where prices have been cut, chopped, and sanded... ...on the most powerful tools that cut... ...chop... ...and sand. so we, or somebody on our list, can do the same. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get a special buy on a ryobi 2 piece lithium ion kit for just $99. across the country, many people are hoping to have something extra to be thankful for this holiday weekend, a lottery ticket worth hundreds of millions of dollars. >> i would not say no to that.

tonight's power ball jackpot stands at $325 million. as mark potter reports, that has plenty of people dreaming of winning big. >> reporter: when power ball gets to be this big, it's the stuff of dreams and about the millions of dollars someone is about to take home and millions of people who dream they will be that lucky someone. >> always the dream. >> never know. >> reporter: power ball began 20 years ago and is played in 42 states, plus the district of columbia and the virgin islands. the current jackpot of $325 million is the fourth largest in the game's history. the chances of winning it are about one in 175 million. if you do win and win it alone, here are your option in this game of numbers. you can take a one-time cash payment of nearly $213 million and pay taxes on it, or you take 30 annual payments, averaging

about $11 million and pay taxes on them. most winners take the lump sum. it's not the full amount, but it's not chump change either. and it's still a fine return on a $2 ticket. the largest power ball jackpot was shared in 2006 by eight workers at a nebraska meat-packing plant. their winning ticket bought together, won a $365 million prize. >> you never dream something like this would happen. >> reporter: history has shown that some big money power ball winners have not fared well. big money, big problems. but few standing in line worry about that. many dream of fancy cars, yachts, big homes, vacations and the freedom of never having to work again. others are willing to share. >> oh, i don't know. i'd give a lot to charity. >> reporter: all are sure they will be the ones who will be just fine with all those millions. for "today," mark potter, nbc news, miami. >> and of course, we can't stop

chatting about what would you buy first, what would your first phone call be. >> you know what my sister used to do? she was convinced she would win. my sister, for years, who is the most generous, lovely person in the world, whitney, i love you, she kept a list every time of who would get one. my in-laws made the list. you should talk to my sister. >> so you're all in agreement up front. no questions down the red. >> no, i know what i'm getting. it's fine. thank you. >> i love it. still ahead, a lot more on that thanksgiving brawl at halle ber berry's house. first this is "today" on nbc. ♪

♪ we were skipping stones ♪ and letting go ♪ over the river and down the road ♪ [ female announcer ] at nature valley, we know nature comes together in amazing ways. that's why we bring together natural ingredients, like dark chocolate with toasted oats, or sweet golden honey. perfect combinations of nature's delicious ingredients, from nature valley. ♪ ♪ i was thinking that i hope this never ends ♪ [ female announcer ] nature valley granola bars, nature at its most delicious. so lester isn't here this week, as you noticed, because he was off enjoying his thanksgiving with his son chicago and stephane's new wife morgan. the first time the newlyweds hosted thanksgiving dinner. also another first this weekend for lester and stephane, because on friday, lester joined

stephane, the morning anchor at wmaq, our nbc station in chicago. the two of them co-anchored the noon newscast. >> i can't tell you how pleased i am to be able to work with your son every day. >> it's a blast to work with you today, too. >> this is a real treat. actually, i'm not sorry i invited myself. we've got a lot more ahead. coming up, stephane hosts his very first thanksgiving. >> and you really did give up that day off. he's the hardest working man. >> if you were going to learn from someone doing television, i can't think of anyone other than lester. how old is his son? >> he's only 25. >> 25? >> we all may need to be worried, i think. >> at 25, i was in lincoln, nebraska. >> but it worked out okay, didn't it? >> it was great. one of the best years of my life. >> i had an interview there and they didn't call me back. [ laughter ] >> they really made a great team.

>> lester said he was a little bit nervous going in. >> we need to find out if lester was story counting. >> he may have. i heard a little piece of tape earlier where stephane said dad, you're stealing my read. still to come, in the kitchen to spice up your leftovers. but first, these messages. eetah. okay. a spaceship. a spaceship. and what's slow? my grandma's slow. would you like it better if she was fast? i bet she would like it if she was fast. hm, maybe give her some turbo boosters. tape a cheetah to her back. tape a cheetah to her back? seems like you have thought about this before. [ male announcer ] it's not complicated. faster is better. and the iphone 5 downloads fastest on at&t 4g. ♪

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6:26. hope you have big prans and something fun to do today. the weather will be right no matter what you want to do. the nicest weather in the seven-day forecast will be arriving for weekend plans. a chilly start and patchy fog in parts of the north bay. 30s and 40s and san francisco 52. we have an offshore breeze that will make for a nice weekend forecast. high pressure will really control the picture through tuesday. i want to jump ahead and see a stormy pattern with a lot of rape, wind, and surf coming in. don't worry about that mall wednesday. upper 60s to maybe even mid 70s around parts of the bay area. lots of sun shane and a few more clouds that lead to cooling. dry through tuesday and you saw the reason why. rain for the middle of the week. >> outside this weekend.

holiday shopping and wedding planning took a tragic turn for one san bruno family. this suv swerved into the back of a patrol car. chp investigators say chicago and drugs were not a factor, but they have fot ruled out falling asleep at the wheel. a family of six was inside the suv. a father, mother, and four durts. two daughters were ejected as it flipped over after hitting the patrol car. it's not known if they were wearing seatbelts. the oldest daughter, a 24-year-old, died. >> i know she wanted to go to india and she was going to get married. >> nisha's sister is in critical condition. the other family members suffered injuries as well. the chp officer was sitting in the patrol car and sustained

minor jurisdiction. >> a fire captain remained hospitalized after a ceiling collapse after fighting an apartment fire at the kimberly woods. the captain was in a stair well when a water logged ceiling came crashing down on top of him. he is in stable condition with a fractured vertebrae and six apartment units were damaged without a place to live. the fire they believe was accidental. coming up on "today" in the bay, a developing story out of san jose where police say more than 40 people are behind bars this morning after a confrontation with police. we will have that in 30 minutes on today in the bay.

and we are back on this saturday morning, november 24th, 2012. it is a chilly but gorgeous morning. what a great crowd we have here

on the plaza in new york city. our thanks to them for making their weekend a part of their week with us. i'm carl quintanilla with erica hill, thomas roberts, dylan dreyer, of course. still to come this half-hour, halle berry's thanksgiving drama. the actress had a turbulent weekend when her ex-boyfriend got into a fight with her fiance, actor olivier martinez. berry and her ex are involved in a contentious custody dispute over their 4-year-old daughter. we'll get latest on that case. we will also have a little update for you on the holiday movie season, which at this point, is in full swing. plenty of stuff for you to check out, from animated movies for the kids to some big budget blockbusters. so we have a preview of some of the films you definitely do not want to miss. from film, we go to toys. we'll check out the hottest toys of the season that you'll want to find. they may already be on your christmas list, but we'll separate the best from the rest for you. and with thanksgiving behind us now, what do you do with all those leftovers? well, who better to have here

than the scottos to show us thousand turn that leftover turkey into a meal. first, dylan has a final check of the weather for us. >> it's a little bit chilly in the northeast. the entire eastern half of the country is dealing with some pretty chilly temperatures. but we have a sweet 16 over here. two of them, actually. i've been promising i'd get you guys on tv. happy sweet 16. where are you guys from? >> ohio. >> and you made it all the way to new york city. did you celebrate thanksgiving here too? >> yes. >> wonderful. thank you for being in the city. we are seeing some pretty chilly temperatures across the eastern half of the country, only in the lower 30s today across the great lakes. about three to six inches of lake effect snow is possible. denver about 71 degrees today, but you head east over into missouri where temperatures will only be in the mid 40s. tomorrow, still dealing with some lake effect snow. it should be a little lighter in intensity around the great lakes, but still out there, scattered snow showers through montana, also up across the northern areas of the plains and

st looking gorgeous across the bay. you can see no fog there looking across san francisco bay. we still have a little bit of fog around fairfield this morning. hour by hour, mainly clear skies and an offshore breeze should make for mostly sunny and pleasant temperatures. passing lunch time, numbers mt. mid- to upper 60s to close to 70. maybe even low 70s and a few extra clouds and cooling and rain returns on wednesday. and if you didn't get your fill of football on thanksgiving, tomorrow night is "sunday night football" night in america. packers are taking on giants at metlife stadium. temperatures around 36 to 40 degrees. windchills about 27 to 31. so if you're going to that game, bundle up for "sunday night football" night in america.

you can always check out your forecast on weather.com as well. carl? >> dylan, thanks. the heated custody battle between halle berry and ex-boyfriend gabriel aubry over their 4-year-old daughter appeared to bubble over this week. aubry and berry's fiancee olivier martinez came to blows this weekend. kristen dahlgren has the latest from los angeles. >> reporter: as they celebrated thanksgiving thursday afternoon, halle berry and fiance olivier martinez had nothing to say about the fistfight. martinez can be seen with a swollen hand. police say the result of a fight outside berry's home that morning with her ex-boyfriend, model gabriel aubry. >> the altercation did result in an injury of one of the parties involved. >> reporter: aubry was taken to the hospital and later arrested on suspicion of battery charges. he was released on $20,000 bail. a temporary order is also in place to keep aubry 100 yards away from martinez, berry, and daughter nahla. common practice in such cases. while police have no comment on the cause of the fight, berry

and aubry have been involved in a bitter custody battle over 4-year-old nahla since the two split in 2010. the two went to court after aubry was accused of pushing a nani who was holding nahla earlier this year. he denied the accusations and charges were never filed. berry is one of hollywood's highest paid actresses, but certainly not the only star to be involved in a high-profile custody battle. britney spears temporarily lost custody of two sons after what some consider bizarre behavior in 2007. alec baldwin and kim basinger had a very public custody fight involving leaked voicemails from baldwin to his daughter. >> i'm leave this with you to tell you you have insulted me for the last time. >> reporter: and christie brinkley and peter cook played out their battle for the children in the media as the world watched. stars fighting their exes while battling near constant paparazzi attention. aubry will be back in court to face the battery charges

december 13th. no doubt with fans and photographers looking on. for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, los angeles. >> and we reached out to berry, martinez, and aubry for comment but did not hear anything back from their representatives. up next, the must-see movies this holiday season. but first, these messages. ho, ho, ho! look, honey... it's santa. i have the perfect gift for you. oh...santa. [ male announcer ] the charmed memories collection at kay jewelers. each charm is hand-crafted in italy, and with hundreds of charms to choose from, you can turn your special moments into charmed memories. this friday through monday, get this free bracelet or a charm valued up to $45 with any charmed memories purchase of $100 or more. at kay, the number one jewelry store in america. these are for me, right? ♪ every kiss begins with kay i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe

[ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. juicy, 100% pure beef, chopped onions, pickles, and american cheese. mcdonald's mcdouble. yours for just a buck, on mcdonald's dollar menu. ♪ that's right. so it's like i won. sure. oh my gosh i won!!! i won!!! [ male announcer ] get a $100 walmart gift card when you buy any android or windows 8 smartphone. through december 1st. from america's gift headquarters. walmart. through december 1st. "google, how much does the earth weigh?" google voice response: "earth has a mass of five point nine..." ♪ "sleep on needles" by sondre lerche ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ nayou just mix together a few. simple ingredients, add a bit of heat, and "voila." so to make truvia baking blend, we shared one of nature's most surprising secrets: sweetness from the stevia leaf. for a blend of truvia natural sweetener and sugar that bakes and browns like sugar, with 75% fewer calories per serving. from nature, for sweetness. thanksgiving weekend is the traditional kickoff to the year

end movie rush with many new films hitting the big screen. thomas roberts is here with a look at some of them. >> erica, whether it's hobbits or hitchcock, hollywood has something for everybody this holiday season. 'tis the season for hobbits and tigers and scares. >> i'm just a man hiding in the corner with a camera. >> for film buffs, a look at the life of the master director of suspense alfred hitchcock. anthony hopkins plays the man behind the camera in "hitchcock." >> how are you going shoot this shower scene? it's only that from here up, i'm not exactly boyish. >> it gives us a bird's eye view into the make of an all-time classic "psycho." speaking of classics, in broadway smas -- a broadway smash hits the big screen. actors belt out songs.

>> they're sing live on camera, so you're getting an unfiltered listen to their real voices. >> for the family, it's what happens when "the avengers" meets the holidays as santa claus, the easter bunny, the tooth fairy and sandman team up to protect the world from an evil spirit in the animated film "rise of the guardians." >> it is our job to protect the children of the world. >> like your rom comes a bit dark? bradley cooper plays a former teacher who is released from a psychiatric ward into the care of his family in "silver lining playbook." >> let me break it down for you. the whole time you're waiting for this hemingway guy to be with the woman he loves. >> fantasy fans feel good about returning to the shire as "the hobbit" hits theaters. >> you'll have a tale or two to tell when you get back. >> "lord of the rings" fans are so excited to see their favorite characters on screen again.

>> a remarkable journey at sea in a life raft connecting with a tiger along the way in "life of pi." >> it is such a visually interesting, rich, fresh, beautiful movie. >> with so much to see, it's understandable how movie goers can't wait one day more. >> so a true collection of movies out there. which one will you see first? a lot of times they say the movies at the end of the year, they're trying to get everyone's attention for oscar buzz, golden globes. "les mis," as we heard there, the actors really singing in those live takes so you can hear what their voices sound like, not digitized. >> i'm really interested to see that. >> i can't wait for "les mis." >> and you've already seen "skyfall", right? >> i loved it. i understood what was going on, which was the big milestone. [ laughter ] >> i've got 3-year-old twins, so we may stay home and watch "the lorax" for the thousandanth

time. >> "rio" is pretty good. just ahead, this year's top toys for the children on your kp christmas list. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

we saw the long lines at toy stores on black friday, but what ie teps are generating the biggest buzz this year? we asked katy turr to check it out. >> reporter: the countdown to christmas officially begins. >> a gold card. >> a pony. >> reporter: santa claus is coming, but will he really know what to get? >> i censor their list.

there's some live animals on there most of the time. >> whatever they sell at toys 'r' us, we would have no idea what that stuff is. >> reporter: don't worry all you confused moms and dads throughout. just in case your kid hasn't been vocal enough, we have the list of the must-have toys this season. there's furby making a comeback, lalaloosy. we used leap pad 2, ipad mini, legos and doc mcstuffen. >> doc mcstuffen is one of the most popular toys around. there are literally only five left in this store. it's so popular a little girl off camera just tried to grab one and run before any of us noticed. >> the girls love the show, and in australia, we don't even have the toy available yet. >> if parents do prep, they'll be able to find what they're looking for. you have to check online, see what the kids are buying, check the stop seller list, check the

availability and come prepared. >> if there was ever a lesson to be learned from a great tickle me elmo shortage of 1996, wait at your own risk. because when your kids want them -- >> i just want them. >> you don't want to be on the holiday's most hated list. ♪ you're a mean one mr. grinch ♪ >> reporter: for "today," katy turr, nbc news, new york. >> so here we have a selection of some of the hot toys this season. remember this guy? >> furby. >> yes. >> and he's not stopped talking since we sat down. >> comes in ten different colors. speaks a language called furbish. you like this one over here, doc mcstuffen. >> my boys just discovered this show and i think it's really sweet. i love her. she's like a vet to all of her toys. i love you, doc mcstuffen.

two thumbs up. furby wants a furby. >> don't they make blocks anymore? "star wars" action figures? >> there's legos. extra tiny. >> still very advanced. >> get ready to shop. it's coming up. we'll be right back with the scottos, but first, these messages. [ male announcer ] this is bob, a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left. i don't think so. [ male announcer ] for years, bob took warfarin, and made a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but not anymore. bob's doctor recommended a different option: once-a-day xarelto®. xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem, that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective

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swiffer. great clean in less time. this morning in today's

holiday kitchen, how to turn your thanksgiving leftovers into an entirely new meal. here to help you gobble up what's left of this week's feast is the family that never has to worry about leftovers, magood t have all of you here this morning. we know you had a very busy thanksgiving. >> we did. >> you were at the restaurant. but you have all these fantastic uses for our leftovers, one of which has been passed down through the generations of your family. >> you're right. the rice bowls. we take it from the leftover stuffing, which is done with rice and sausage and mozzarella. all i did was add an egg to keep the form, bread it, saw today it and this is that famous rice balls. >> you also have salmon croquets. >> here is my salmon. leftover sweet potatoes.

and you've got to add an egg in it so that it keeps all the ingredients together. now i have one already made here. i put it in the flour. i put it in the egg wash. and then i put it in the bread crumbs. as you can see, i'm frying it right here. >> and this is quick too, which is nice. >> very quick. >> if you've got the sweet potatoes but maybe you didn't bake salmon, could you use canned salmon that you have in your pantry? >> oh! >> i heard a shriek. >> just in case. i didn't make salmon. >> did you make a white fish? >> i made a turkey. >> if you have leftover canned salmon, then it's fair? >> anthony is taking care of that. >> forget i asked that question. >> anthony is going to help me. what do you got? >> you open up your refrigerator and you see leftover turkey.

turkey bolonaise is a great way. >> we're going to add dark and white meat, which we had in that refrigerator. we'll chop it up real good. fresh tomato. a little bit of chicken stock. we'll reduce this down for probably 15, 20 minutes. a little salt and pepper. we'll add pasta, butter and cheese, which we'll show you in a minute. this should take about 30 minutes. great for lunch. a salad with it. perfect. >> this maybe requires the most effort? >> it's a 15 to 20-minute thought. it's sitting in the refrigera r refrigerator. what am i doing with it? >> just remember to let the sauce cool for 30 minutes. >> okay. we're going move to the side and let thomas and dylan take us to the tail end. >> we get the dessert back here. >> the best part of the meal. >> we've gotten over the salmon question. >> it was canned. >> what do we have here? >> we're making leftover fruit

crisps. we start with the topping. we add butter to the flour. >> room temperature butter? >> yes. >> and salt and cinnamon. brown sugar. >> and whole pecans. >> yes. and then you start getting dirty. >> that's good. >> that's a good recipe. >> you want it to get nice and clumpy. >> once we make it in there, then we go to the fruit? >> now we go to the good part. just so you know, you can use canned fruit. if you want. if you must. this is amapples, cranberries, whatever is left fro the day. corn starch, nutmeg, a pinch of salt, sugar. we'll mix this all up. >> a lot of sugar. >> the salt actually enhances the flavor of the fruit and everything else, all the good stuff that's in there. so we mix this up so it's well-coated. and fruit crisps are easy and just leftover.

>> they are. you can do it all year wrong. whatever fruit you have leftover, canned fruit. >> i do have a number of apples in my refrigerator. i'm never living it down. >> we'll take this great topping that julia made and well-coat it. you want to be very generous with this. we're going to pre-heat our oven to 375 and then we're going to bake it. and this is what it will look like. we have some nice ice cream. would you start dishing it out? i have a plate. >> of course. >> it's the best way to go. >> so is this homemade ice cream? >> well, at fresco's it's homemade. i don't know about here. [ laughter ] >> i can tell you this day is not out -- it is not out of the can. >> this is to easy to do. you do with it the kids. >> and you can do it in stages. >> dylan, you're going to need a

spoon for that. >> thank you. >> because it's fruit, it seems like it's a great way to end a meal. >> a big thanks to the scotto family for being with us. you can find these recipes on our website at today.com. bonn appetit. >> more than 40 people arrested after police and partygoers

clash in san jose. the rescue of a man stuck in a storm drain for more than hours chl a memorial service will be held for a young man shot and killed last week in an attempted carja carjacking? san jose. we will have the latest on the investigation.

. >> good morning, everyone. 6:59 is the time and hope you are having a terrific holiday weekend. if you are out driving, you are not watching tv. if you are planning on driving, expect fog like you are seeing in sunol. rob is here and will tell us if the fog is heading out. >> the fog is the only weather concern we have this weekend. not the rain or wind, but visibility is reduced in sunol. 30s and 40s for temperatures and a light east wind in fairfield is bringing in the fog from sacramen